Adolescent mothers have unique heaths needs compared to older mothers and other female adolescents (Aujoulat et al, 2010; Chablani & Spinney, 2011; Crittenden et al.2009,). Therefore,it is important for community development nurses to consider their specific needs when designing programs. This paper will identify the prevalence of adolescent motherhood in Saint John, New Brunswick and Canada. The challenges and problems that adolescent mothers face, along with the relevant health determinants, will be examined. Finally, local interventions and strategies the literature has identified as successful in improving the health status of adolescent mothers will be examined and critiqued.
Target population and epidemiology
The target population for this assessment is adolescent mothers aged 15 to 19. For this essay, adolescent mothers are considered to be between the ages of 15 to 19, unless otherwise stated. There were 15,570 live births to adolescent mothers in Canada in 2008. In New Brunswick, there were 488 live births in 2008 (Statistics Canada, 2008). Less than 5% of adolescents who become pregnant opt for adoption in New Brunswick (L.Smith, personal communication, September 21, 2011). The Health Indicators report showed that 28% of New Brunswick teenage pregnancies occurred in the Saint John area in 2009 (Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health{OCMOH}, 2011). The report also identified the teenage fertility rate in New Brunswick. This rate refers to the number of live births that occur to females aged 15 to 19 per 1,000. In Saint John, the fertility rate for adolescents is 43.7. This number is significantly higher than the national teenage fertility rate of 14 and the provincial fertility rate of 20 (OCMOH). Although Canada’s national fertility rate is less than half of the United States of America’s rate of 41, it is still higher than most European countries including France, which has a rate of eight, and the Netherlands’s rate of four (OCMOH). These statistics show a significant number of adolescent mothers in Saint John, New Brunswick and Canada, proving the need for health care interventions for this target population.
Determinants of health
To conduct a throughout assessment on the needs of adolescent mothers, it is essential to consider the determinants of health. Common problems this population faces include high drop out rates, depression, social isolation, repeat pregnancies, and less effective parenting skills(source). The determinants of health most likely to impact adolescent mothers include income and education, social support, personal health practices, healthy childhood development, and gender.Unfortunately, the literature mainly focuses on the negative health determinants for this group and neglects to concentrate on positive health determinants or assets.
Significantly, teenage pregnancy is a social issue that will always be present in Canada. It will always have its health concerns, social issues, and media controversies. Nevertheless, there will always be solutions, where teenagers can be cautioned, and where mothers can have second chances to get the help they need to raise their children. Indeed, teenage pregnancy is not a formula that can be solved with an answer - but it is a cracked path that can only be paved, smoothed, and made better for those that must walk upon it.
As everyone knows, teen pregnancy rate is increasing more and more each day and someone needs to do something to try and either stop it or decrease it dramatically. Teen pregnancy is causing dramatic population increase and that’s just common sense. Teens getting pregnant at such a young age is also causing poverty levels to go up more and more. Mississippi Spent over $100 million on teen pregnancy alone in the year 2010 (“Teen Pregnancy”). Just think of what it is now. More teens are dropping out of school and not finishing their education. According to the authors of this article, “approximately 30 percent of teen mothers have mothers who dropped out of high school, 40 percent have mothers who are mothers who dropped out of high school, 40 percent have mothers who are high school graduates, and 30 percent have mothers who attended college”(Kearny et al 143). Many people don’t realize that there are many effects of teen pregnancy including higher risk of birth defect, more likely to drop out, and also abortion rates increase.
According to www.cdc.gov, in 2013, a total of two hundred and seventy-three thousand, one hundred and five babies were born to women fifteen to nineteen years of age. Though this is low for the typical rate of teen- child births, the U.S. teen pregnancy rate is substantially higher than in other western industrialized nations. There are many stories of teen mothers who feel like they have their lives together, and consider their stories “success stories”. What most teens don’t understand, is the difficulties of being a mother, especially at such a young age. Teen pregnancy has more negative outcomes than positive outcomes, as shown by a girl named Haley in her teen pregnancy story. The best way to prevent teen pregnancy is through information
Hayes L. 13b: Teenage pregnancy--prevention and intervention. Practice Nurse [serial online]. November 28, 2003;26(9):63. Available from: Academic Search Complete, Ipswich, MA. Accessed May 18, 2014.
As times continually change, it is inevitable that statistics will change as well. For each student that fails to graduate from high school, another statistic comes about. An American epidemic that forever seems to be looming on the horizon is the issue of teenage parenting and pregnancies. According to an article pertaining to teen pregnancies compiled from teenhelp.com, the United States has been deemed the leading nation for teenage pregnancies in the Western industrialized world. Due to this statistic, it is important to evaluate what can be done to set up teenage parents for success, as well as what can be done for children born in to young families. In an article on teenage parenting compiled by Linda Mangel, it is said that nearly seventy percent of teenage mothers do not complete their secondary education, and because of this, it becomes evident that a solution is crucial. Secondary schools would benefit from considering the implementation of daycare systems in order to increase the graduation rate for teen parents.
Although teen pregnancy rates are slowly declining, they are still extremely high in America. This can be solved by educating teens on the effects of teen pregnancy and through the use of contraceptives. Some effects of teen pregnancy are depression, financial issues and neglect. There should be more resources available to inform teens on the effects of teen pregnancy throughout the United States. Teen pregnancy is a social issue which needs to be taken seriously although it is very commonly joked about.
---Trends in teen pregnancy rates from 1996-2006: A comparison of Canada, Sweden, U.S.A., and England/Wales.
Teenagers who become mothers have harsh prospects for the future. Teenagers obtaining abortions are 20% and girls under 15 accounts for 1.2%. They are much more likely to leave of school; receive insufficient prenatal care; rely on public assistance to raise a child; develop health problems; or en...
Many studies have shown that teenage mothers and their child have a high risk of living in poverty, due to not completing high school, being a single parent and their lack of knowledge and readiness to raise a child because of unplanned pregnancies. Children born of teenage mothers are at a higher risk maltreatment and poor performance in school. In addition, many studies have also shown that teenage pregnancies and poverty have an effect on their child’s development.
The birth rate among teens in the United States has declined 9% from 2009 to 2010, a historic low among all racial and ethnic groups, with the least being born in 2010; and in 2011 the number of babies born to adolescents aged 15-19 years of age was 329,797 (“Birth Rates for U.S.”, 2012). Although the decline in unwanted and unplanned teen births is on the rise the United States continues to be among the highest of industrialized countries facing this problem. This is a prevailing social concern because of the health risks to these young mothers as well as their babies. Teens at higher risk of becoming pregnant are raised at or below the poverty level by single parents; live in environments that cause high levels of stress (i.e., divorce, sexual psychological and physical abuse); are influenced by peers or family members that are sexually active; and lack parental guidance that would direct them to be responsible and self-controlled.
The female teen stares into the eyes of her newborn son, not realizing the type of life her and her son will have in the near future. Katrina L. Burchett excellently explicates teenage pregnancy among female adolescents living with domestic problems in her book titled Choices. The various elements that aid to the wide range of teenage pregnancies in the world should all be taken in to consideration. Getting pregnant at an adult is no longer substantial or conventional in our society. Everyday, female young adults are getting pregnant, which is why it is a social issue for the youth today.
The chosen health improvement initiative that is going to be studied within this community profile is reducing the amount of teenage pregna...
...crease the teen pregnancy rates. The study was carried out in a town with a population of 10,000 within a health center in a town 25 miles from a major Mid. The location of the health center was located 25 miles from a major Midwestern city. According to Crowley, 2001, the health center serves clients ages 12 through 20. Inclusion criteria were girls ages 13 through 18, and never being pregnant (p. 723). 202 girls agreed and were eligible to participate, with 148 as the final sample. There were 54 girls excluded because they were already pregnant. All participants spoke English or Spanish In conclusion teen pregnancy has been identified in literature as a problem for teenagers, their families, and society. The Nursing Model for Teen Pregnancy will guide the study. The model theorizes that developmental maturity is related to those at risk for teen pregnancy.
Babies are born more likely to be born premature and/or suffer low birth weight. There are a lot of problems involved with children having children. There is a higher risk of low birth rate, premature labor, and stillbirth. The problem is teenage girls are not done growing and fully maturing, there for, when they become pregnant it induces problems not only on the baby but the mother as well. *A general rule: The younger the mother, the greater risk of complications for both the mother and child. Often pregnant teenage mothers deny the fact that they are indeed pregnant, therefor ignoring the proper care that she needs for the growing baby inside of her. There are no easy answers; that’s one thing that everyone agrees on when it comes to the problem of teen pregnancy. The Center of Disease Control and prevention affirmed on June 26 what other agencies, such as the National Center for Health Statistics, have been saying over the course of this year: “The teen pregnancy rate is dropping. The number of teenage girls across the country who became pregnant fell 12 percent between 1991 and 1996. This drops affects girls, of different races and socioeconomic backgrounds, in all states. But the problem remains; The U.S. teen pregnancy rate is the highest of any industrialized countries. Babies born in the U.S. to teenager mothers are at risk for long-term problems in many major areas of life, including school failure, poverty, and physical or mental illness. The teenage mothers themselves are also at risk for these problems.
The concept of comprehensive social intervention has been defined as the process of identifying social problems in an attempt to eradicate them. In looking at the broad range of social characteristics and the behavior associated with teen pregnancy, it is obvious that the emphases placed on the effort to recognize and alleviate teen pregnancy can be celebrated through the effectiveness of education, family planning, and abstinence. However, the attempt to analyze and deal with the cause-and-effect relationship with teen pregnancy is an attempt in understanding the social world itself. In 2006, statistics show that there was a significant increase in teen pregnancy after a decade long decrease. The potential for understanding this increase motivates us to look beyond simple explanations for cause-and-effect behavior and to look at what interactions may be occurring between variables that result in specific behaviors or social conditions. What is it that influences behavior? In looking at teen pregnancy in the realm of the family, it is evident that a large number of family structures have evolved, or perhaps devolved, into a variety of combinations which challenge responsible parents to consistently expose their children to the role models and the types of behaviors that are important for their children to emulate as they mature. People are molded by circumstances and experiences, all of which can positively or negatively influence our behavior.